Celebrate team’s historic Cup win
SKELMERSDALE United Football Club’s historic victory in the 1971 FA Amateur Cup will be marked by the mayor of West Lancashire next month – and the cup itself could be brought back to the town as part of the celebrations.
The 1971 FA Amateur Cup success was the high-point in a series of successful years for Skelmersdale United during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The achievement will be celebrated by the Mayor of West Lancashire, Cllr Gordon Johnson, at a Skelmersdale event in March.
Speaking at the latest full meeting of the council, held at Edge Hill University, Cllr Johnson said a number of mayoral events had been rescheduled recently but he was still looking forward to them.
He said: “We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Skelmersdale United winning the cup. A charity event with Skelmersdale United will take place on March 27 and we hope to get the FA Amateur Cup back on that day.”
More details are to be announced soon.
Skelmersdale United won the FA Amateur Cup in a 4-1 victory over Dagenham at Wembley in 1971. Before that, the club saw some other great cup matches and league performances in the seasons before.
In 1967, almost 8,000 supporters reportedly watched Skelmersdale at home, beat Slough Town. The club later played in the FA Amateur Cup Final that year at Wembley in front of 75,000 spectators. The Wembley match ended in a 0-0 draw and so led to a replay at Manchester City’s Maine Road ground.
Skelmersdale ultimately lost but the experience created great pride and memories.
Skelmersdale United enjoyed a range of successes in the FA Cup and the FA Amateur Cup in the era, and were also promoted to the Northern Premier League. In 197172, Skelmersdale qualified again for the first round of the main FA Cup, where they were beaten at home by league club Tranmere Rovers.
Both Skelmersdale’s adult and junior football scenes have been celebrated by the borough council in recent times. Last autumn a junior football league stalwart was honoured for his decades of service to the community with a top civic accolade.
Joe Nelson received the freedom of the borough in recognition of his voluntary work as chairman of the Skelmersdale Junior Football League for over 30 years. The junior league has run Sunday matches for children since 1972.
The borough’s Mayor, Cllr Johnson, has also been a football referee and his own children have played in the Skelmersdale junior league.